Purpose: This paper aims to identify and assess critical dimension of business incubation with focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council, which are suitable to measure the effectiveness of business incubation to support startup and entrepreneurial businesses by providing a number of services and resources to the clients.Design/methodology/approach: The study is a multi-method approach combined of desk-research, interviews, a multi-case study of five incubator organizations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and a case study in an international context.Findings: Firstly, a model for measuring the effectiveness of business incubation in a standardized way is developed and secondly, this model is evaluated by a multi-case study and its implications are discussed in the context of an international background.Research limitations/implications: There is little academic research presenting the characteristics of business incubation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).Originality/value: This model helps practitioners and government parties for future implementation of incubators program. Furthermore, it adds new knowledge for academic literature incubators and economic development to a commonly agreed model for effectiveness measurement of business incubators.Keywords: Economic Development; Incubators; Entrepreneurship; Gulf Cooperation Council State; Innovation